Championing conservation in China

Tue, 20 Nov 2012

IUCN Patron of Nature, Salley Ranney, accompanied by businessman, environmentalist and philanthropist Ted Turner, paid a recent visit to IUCN's office in Bejing, China. IUCN’s new President, Zhang Xinsheng, welcomed the IUCN Patron and joined Ms Ranney, Mr Turner, and a number of IUCN staff to discuss the role of IUCN and its Members in Chinese conservation.

Photo: Charlotte Hicks, IUCN China

As part of an American delegation visiting China, Ms Ranney, an American journalist and conservation activist, and Mr Turner sought to better understand China’s environmental issues.

Among the range of issues discussed - including China’s new leadership’s role in the environment, the state of protected area and marine conservation and legislation, women’s participation in climate change mitigation and adaptation, payments for ecosystem services (PES) and large scale elephant poaching in Africa - it was the latter two topics in which Ms Ranney expressed the most interest and concern for China’s role.

President Zhang stressed IUCN’s commitment to all of the issues discussed, and assured Ms Ranney and Mr Turner that IUCN will continue to work closely with its members and partners in China to promote nature-based solutions to China’s most pressing environmental issues.